Health Care Industry Braces For Double Whammy Of Health Cuts

As The Hill’s Sam Baker points out, health care providers may be on the hook for two rounds of cuts before the end of the year:

1) The triggers in the debt ceiling proposal would enact “across-the-board reductions that would cut up to 2 percent of Medicare’s total spending” to providers if the so-called super committee does not agree on a proposal to reduce spending. Even if it does agree, the group could target government reimbursements to hospitals and doctors.

2) At the end of the year, “the latest short-term patch to Medicare physician payment rates is set to expire,” meaning Medicare doctors will face another round of cuts.